Washington State

Institute for
Public Policy
The Evergreen State College • Seminar 3162 • Olympia, WA 98505 • (360) 866-6000, ext. 6380 • FAX (360) 866-6825

May 1998

Trends in Child Abuse or Neglect in Washington State

Finding: The rate of alleged victims of child abuse or neglect

investigated by Washington State’s Department of Social and Health
Services has declined slightly in the last six years.

Purpose
In 1994, the Washington State Legislature passed legislation intended to decrease juvenile violence and
certain "at-risk" behaviors of youth in Washington.1 The goal of the 1994 legislation was to achieve
measurable, cost-effective reductions in eight specific outcomes.2 This topic brief focuses on trends in
one of those areas: reported child abuse or neglect in Washington State.

Child Abuse or Neglect Information in Washington State

The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) administers Washington's Child Protective
Services (CPS) and provides emergency intervention and treatment for children found to be at risk of child
abuse. DSHS records both the total number of child abuse cases referred to CPS and the number of
alleged victims to be investigated further. Of these alleged victims, some are found to be substantiated
cases of abuse. Table 1 shows total intake referrals and alleged child victims in Washington from 1991 to
1997.

Table 1
CPS Intake Referrals and Alleged Child Victims in Washington State
Ages 0 to 17 Years Old 3
Washington CPS Total CPS Total Alleged Child Victims, Unduplicated Count
Population Intake Accepted Total Rate Per Ages Ages Ages Ages Age
Year Ages 0-17 Referrals Referrals Number 1,000 Youth 0 to 2 3 to 5 6 to 12 13 to 17 Unknown
4 5
1991 1,315,346 — 40,225 35,730 27.2 — — — — —
4 5
1992 1,358,846 — 41,254 36,644 27.0 — — — — —
5
1993 1,403,340 70,546 41,141 36,543 26.0 — — — — —
1994 1,434,431 73,165 41,281 36,791 25.6 4,373 8,644 16,251 7,089 434
1995 1,463,358 76,447 42,246 37,675 25.7 6,806 8,792 15,336 6,143 598
1996 1,487,813 75,949 42,152 37,408 25.1 6,465 8,275 15,407 6,449 812
1997 1,510,965 79,382 43,698 38,574 25.5 6,519 7,943 16,345 6,949 818

Washington State Institute for Public Policy, May 1998.

1
RCW 70.190.050.
2
Violent crime, teen substance abuse, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, dropping out of school, child abuse or neglect, domestic violence,
state funded out-of-home placements.
3
Data collected from annual CPS reports, Department of Social and Health Services and the Office of Financial Management.
Calculations were made by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
4
Accepted referral data for 1991 and 1992 are from personal communications with DSHS staff.
5
The Institute calculated values for 1991,1992 and 1993 by multiplying the number of accepted referrals for each of those years, by the
ratio of accepted unduplicated victims for 1994 to 1997 to accepted referrals.
 Figure 1
Total CPS Intake Referrals
Per 1,000 0- to 17-Year-Olds in Washington
Figure 1 shows the number of CPS Intake
60 Referrals per 1,000 youths in Washington from
50
1993 to 1997. A child may have more than one
referral in a year, and a referral may involve more
40
than one child.
30

20
The overall trend has been steady over the last five
years. In 1997, the rate of intake referrals was 52.5
10
referrals per 1,000 youths.
0
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

Figure 2
Alleged Child Victims
Figure 2 presents data on the rate of Per 1,000 0- to 17-Year-Olds in Washington
unduplicated alleged child abuse victims
accepted by CPS. "Alleged victims" refers to 28
24
cases currently under investigation. DSHS is
20
currently developing a system to record the
16
number of cases found to be substantiated as
12
incidents of abuse.6
8
4
Although the rate of alleged child abuse or
0
neglect victims rose slightly in 1997, there has 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997
been a moderate decline in the rate of alleged
child victims since 1991.
Figure 3
Alleged Child Victims by Age
Per 1,000 Children in Washington
Figure 3 shows the rate of alleged child victims 40
Ages 3 to 5
(unduplicated) by age group from 1994 to 1997.7 35

30
The highest rate of alleged child abuse victims Ages 0 to 2
25
occured with children ages 3 to 5 years old. The Ages 6 to12
20
rate for victims ages 0 to 2 increased in 1995 and
15
then declined slightly. Child victims ages 3 to 5 Ages 13 to 17
and 6 to 12 years old have been slightly 10

decreasing since 1994. Youth ages 13 to 17 5

comprised the group with the lowest rate of 0

alleged child abuse victims. 1994 1995 1996 1997

The Washington Legislature created the Washington State Institute for Public Policy in 1983. A Board of Directors— representing the
legislature, the governor, and public universities— governs the Institute and guides the development of all activities. The Institute's mission is to
carry out practical research, at legislative direction, on issues of importance to Washington State.

6
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, personal communication with DSHS staff, April 1998.
7
A small number of children whose ages were "unknown" are not included in the graph.

Document No. 98-05-3201